Maynard was hurt by thisunfortunate mistake. But you need to understand that Mr. Coats has been hurt by it as well. Maybe more than she has.”
“And you need to understand that this was no mistake,” Mom said, her voice ratcheting up a notch. “You heard him say he deliberately did what he did. That doesn’t sound like any sort of accident to me.”
Mr. Frank’s hand hovered over the table, and I could almost see him kick himself into lawyer mode. His face got very serious and his body language changed. He sat forward, his palm spread toward Mom as if he were trying to physically hold her down. Tina must have sensed something, too. She stood up and gathered her things as if to usher me out quickly. “It was a mistake in judgment. He has admitted as much. But, again, we’re not here for—”
“It’s okay,” Kaleb interrupted. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ll answer her.” He turned to me. “What I’m sorry about is that I didn’t break up with you the day before I turned eighteen,” he said. “And I don’t mean that in a mean way or anything. It’s just that if I’d broken up with you then, I wouldn’t be in…” He trailed off, shook his head, paused. I could see moisture glistening under his eyes. I almost felt dizzy with surprise; here I’d been worried that I might cry in front of Kaleb, and he was the one crying in front of me instead. “I wouldn’t be in this mess,” he finally said, and I could see his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed away his tears. “They’re calling that picture child pornography. If I get charged, I could have toregister as a sex offender. I want to be a teacher, Ashleigh, and sex offenders don’t get to be teachers. I’ll have to move out of my parents’ house, because they live down the street from my old elementary school. People will naturally assume that I’m some sick pervert, and you know that’s not true. We never even had sex. I never even asked you to. I never asked you to send that picture in the first place. So I’m sorry that I didn’t break up with you sooner, and if I could take back everything that’s happened, trust me, I would.”
Mr. Frank had lowered his hand into his lap and had taken up a cocky, crossed-legged pose. He checked his watch again. “If we’re satisfied…?”
“Ashleigh?” Tina said. “Do you have anything else you’d like to say?”
I shook my head. What was there left to say? We were both screwed, and all because of some dumb, childish payback game.
Mom stood, shouldered her purse. “Well, I’m sorry for all you’ve gone through, Kaleb,” she said. “But you chose to do what you did. My husband, on the other hand, is probably going to lose his job over something he had nothing to do with. You chose that for him.”
“Dana…” Tina said in a soft warning voice.
Mr. Frank stood, too, and hitched the waistband of his pants. “I’m going to have to stop you there, Mrs. Maynard, because that’s not what we’re here for today and Mr. Coats and I have another appointment, so we’ll need to adjourn this meeting.” So much for the congenial host Mr. Frankhad been when we’d arrived. Our time was up and we needed to leave—he’d made that crystal clear.
“Yes, I think we’re done here,” Mom said. “We can find our way out.” She headed for the door. I followed behind, glancing back at Kaleb one last time. He was staring down at the rumpled paper on the table, rubbing his gaunt cheeks with his hand. He looked up and our eyes met before I very quickly looked away, concentrating on the back of Tina’s head as we walked out.
I’d finally told Kaleb exactly how I felt. Problem was, I didn’t feel any better at all than I had when I walked into the room. I might even have felt worse.
DAY 20
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Dad had a meeting, so he picked me up right after school the next day to drop me off at community service. I was early, but I didn’t really mind all that much.
“And you need to understand that this was no mistake,” Mom said, her voice ratcheting up a notch. “You heard him say he deliberately did what he did. That doesn’t sound like any sort of accident to me.”
Mr. Frank’s hand hovered over the table, and I could almost see him kick himself into lawyer mode. His face got very serious and his body language changed. He sat forward, his palm spread toward Mom as if he were trying to physically hold her down. Tina must have sensed something, too. She stood up and gathered her things as if to usher me out quickly. “It was a mistake in judgment. He has admitted as much. But, again, we’re not here for—”
“It’s okay,” Kaleb interrupted. He took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’ll answer her.” He turned to me. “What I’m sorry about is that I didn’t break up with you the day before I turned eighteen,” he said. “And I don’t mean that in a mean way or anything. It’s just that if I’d broken up with you then, I wouldn’t be in…” He trailed off, shook his head, paused. I could see moisture glistening under his eyes. I almost felt dizzy with surprise; here I’d been worried that I might cry in front of Kaleb, and he was the one crying in front of me instead. “I wouldn’t be in this mess,” he finally said, and I could see his Adam’s apple moving up and down as he swallowed away his tears. “They’re calling that picture child pornography. If I get charged, I could have toregister as a sex offender. I want to be a teacher, Ashleigh, and sex offenders don’t get to be teachers. I’ll have to move out of my parents’ house, because they live down the street from my old elementary school. People will naturally assume that I’m some sick pervert, and you know that’s not true. We never even had sex. I never even asked you to. I never asked you to send that picture in the first place. So I’m sorry that I didn’t break up with you sooner, and if I could take back everything that’s happened, trust me, I would.”
Mr. Frank had lowered his hand into his lap and had taken up a cocky, crossed-legged pose. He checked his watch again. “If we’re satisfied…?”
“Ashleigh?” Tina said. “Do you have anything else you’d like to say?”
I shook my head. What was there left to say? We were both screwed, and all because of some dumb, childish payback game.
Mom stood, shouldered her purse. “Well, I’m sorry for all you’ve gone through, Kaleb,” she said. “But you chose to do what you did. My husband, on the other hand, is probably going to lose his job over something he had nothing to do with. You chose that for him.”
“Dana…” Tina said in a soft warning voice.
Mr. Frank stood, too, and hitched the waistband of his pants. “I’m going to have to stop you there, Mrs. Maynard, because that’s not what we’re here for today and Mr. Coats and I have another appointment, so we’ll need to adjourn this meeting.” So much for the congenial host Mr. Frankhad been when we’d arrived. Our time was up and we needed to leave—he’d made that crystal clear.
“Yes, I think we’re done here,” Mom said. “We can find our way out.” She headed for the door. I followed behind, glancing back at Kaleb one last time. He was staring down at the rumpled paper on the table, rubbing his gaunt cheeks with his hand. He looked up and our eyes met before I very quickly looked away, concentrating on the back of Tina’s head as we walked out.
I’d finally told Kaleb exactly how I felt. Problem was, I didn’t feel any better at all than I had when I walked into the room. I might even have felt worse.
DAY 20
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Dad had a meeting, so he picked me up right after school the next day to drop me off at community service. I was early, but I didn’t really mind all that much.
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